Eyes Upon the Moon
by PickledWinry
Summary: Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru find themselves helping a clan avenge the death of their leader.
1. Intro

The Wind and the oven sprawl of sand no one can still. We burn here. We burn like barren wombs and upturned tombs. Here the heavens sing in screams. I can feel the wind between bone and muscle, our skin hardens and catches air.

We weep without the sea. We, with our dry eyes and tanned skin, mummified by green scarves, are not without happiness. The night is sweet, slick, and lovely.

We are nameless to so many. We are nameless under the layers of our uniformed hope. Here we drift. If dandelions could grow we would be like them. Instead, we are all broken mountain dust trying to get home and rise above.

Here, in Sand, we find ourselves, adults, long before our bodies catch up to our souls.


	2. Netra

"I remember that jacket," Vihaan said. "I remember the jacket and the girl it belonged to." He was sipping a Spoiled Oak beer, his gloved fingers tight against the glass.

"She should be dead," Vihaan said. He shook his head, setting the bottle down. He didn't feel like drowning his sorrows just yet. "We can't just let her walk in like this."

Netra said nothing, reaching for the beer. She liked the idea of being drunk, despite her body refusing to process the poison. Her clan was known for their ability to control poison. It didn't help in this situation when the weight of the world seemed to grip her mind and pull-down.

Shikamaru gave his team a cold look. "If that is the girl, then we should do something."

Vihaan blinked. "I am not going near her. If she is the same girl-she should be dead."

Netra took another long sip. The beer settled in her belly. Closing her eyes and suppressing her chakra, she could almost feel it fizz for a moment. She couldn't hold back the ability for too long, but it helped her feel normal. Not that her kind was ever normal. Ninjas were never given the same freedom to forget.

"But, _It's the girl._ Is that correct, Vee?" Shikamaru asked. He had become almost hyper focused, the shadows behind him slithering longer than they should have. Netra coughed into the beer, letting Shikamaru know they had an _audience._

"It's the girl," Vihaan said. He said it like he was swallowing his own teeth. "It's the fucking girl!"

Netra spoke up. "Shik, Vee, as much as I love this, we aren't going after the girl. Or at least, I'm not. I'm here to meet up with friends. If you want to go trolling for ass, do it on your own. You don't need a wingman."

She moved to stand up. Shikamaru grinned. "We all know your taste runs hotter than you let on." The smile was practiced. They were supposed to be at the bar, drinking, forgetting. Vihaan had a tendency to get angry at his own stupidity, making the same mistakes again in his anger. Netra hated having to work with him, but she knew she had to. He was the closest thing to family, at least in abilities.

That meant they worked well together in the field. She just hated how impulsive he was. He couldn't even kill a target right.

Shikamaru was better, smarter, useful. He was the tactician. Netra would follow the older man to death. He was her senpai.

He stood, taking her hand with surprising ease. "Maybe I can help you find something warm?" He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. She could taste something wrong the moment his lips crossed her own. He had been drugged.

She pushed against him, her chakra moving in slow circles. She was lowering his blood pressure, letting the _energy_ gather up the inky poison in his blood. She kissed him for a good two minutes, up against the bar, like they had been lovers for years. She was familiar with the idea of men, with ways to save someone, through touch and gesture.

She appreciated Shikamaru on a deeper level. She didn't want him to die. If Vihaan tried to kiss her, though, she might just kick him in the balls and rip the poison from him another way.

When the poison was gone, Shikamaru lingered. When they parted, Netra had to lower her heat with a quick chakra wash. Shikamaru was a spectacular lover, they had played the part before. Getting worked up wouldn't help them find this girl.

Vihaan was moving in a strange, wobbly way. He seemed drunk, despite having not touched any of the beer. He leaned against Shikamaru and hissed something.

"Man, you don't look so good," Shikamaru said. He gave her a soft smile. "Your brother sucks. We'll have to continue this later."

And then they were gone, leaving Netra to look out for the girl in the bar. Or to stay like she had been rebuffed.

"I'll meet you at the hotel," she yelled like they were all old friends.

She would follow them after a moment. Putting on her jacket and gathering Vihaan's book. He had picked up an Icha Icha at the bookstore. With a sigh and the ghost of warmth from the kiss on her lips, she followed them out of the bar. They would be looking for the girl now and she would be back up.


	3. Temari

Temari watched the familiar form of Shikamaru walk through the door. Shikamaru had always been a homebody, doing missions as close to home as possible. Temari didn't understand why he was in Stonebluff or what he expected to happen. The dark skinned ninja with him seemed local. They wore Konoha headgear but could have passed for Sand any day. They had the tan skin, the dark hair, common in people who lived outside the Windy Tombs.

She had been listening to their conversation. She had learned some very interesting things about the trio. Shikamaru seemed very familiar with the female. There was some relation between 'Vee' and the girl, they were cousins or brothers. It was Shikamaru and his sudden kiss-she felt an empty clawing inside her chest. She filed it away for a darker, safer hour. She didn't need to revisit Shikamaru.

They were on a mission and they were looking for someone. Who? Temari was about to find out.

* * *

Shikamaru and Vihaan were staying at the Ancient Cave Lodge, second floor, third window from the end. Temari could hear them through the walls, whispering about the girl, about where she could be. They called her Jacket, careful to keep their voices even. No one would think they were doing more than talking about someone they found attractive. Temari didn't know if they were using code names, but she found the whole thing strange.

The two 'siblings' were called Vihaan Takeda and Netra Baba. They sounded Right Desert if her ears were still as good as before. She knew the names but had not encountered the families. What their abilities were, it wasn't obvious. She had returned to her hotel room to find Kankuro, but he wasn't around. He had gone off somewhere, without leaving a note. Not that a note would have helped, but a clue would have been nice. Her brother rarely gave her any insight into his life or what his part of this mission was.

She listened for an hour but left when the girl arrived. Netra was holding a bag of food in her hands and seemed annoyed. Disappearing from the building, Temari headed across the city. She needed to speak with Kankuro.

It took her almost until morning to find Kankuro. She was surprised to find him sitting on a bench in the park. He was missing his traditional cat hat, his face clean of the paint. He was passing, but the awkwardness of seeing his bare skin was almost a physical feeling. They had both changed since Gaara passed. They were different people now.

"Shikamaru is here," Temari said, sitting beside him.

He looked up at her, his mouth in a firm line. "I know."

"They are looking for a girl. To kill or take, I am not sure," Temari said.

"I know."

Temari sighed. "Do you know the Baba clan?"

Kankura jerked, before catching himself. "Baba clan?"

"There is a girl with him, Netra... Baba," Temari said. "She is with a boy..."

"Vihaan Takada," Kankura finished. He looked at Temari with a grim look on his face. "That's our target."

"Why?" Temari asked. "I can't. Not with Shikamaru around."

"We aren't killing him." Kankuro put a hand on Temari's shoulder. She felt his charka rise up into his hands. "He is looking for someone we want. He has something we need."

"What could he possibly have?" Temari asked.

"An ability we need," Kankuro said. "He is the only one who can kill..."

"Do I want to know?" Temari asked.

"You know her," Kankuro said. "In fact, you probably wished she was dead long before this happened."

"I'm listening," Temari said softly.

"Kondo," Kankuro said.

Temari grimaced. "This is going to suck."


	4. Netra 2

Netra closed her eyes and tried to feel the world around her. She was better at sensing things in the open. Here the _echo_. was blocked by buildings and trees. She couldn't find anything worthwhile.

"This is fucking stupid," Netra said.

Vihaan gave her a sharp look. "Just do your thing and help us out."

Shikamaru seemed to sense Netra was going to strangle Vihaan.

"I think we should split up for a few moments. We need to take a break, but it looks suspicious if we are all together." He grinned.

Netra understood what he was offering. He would take Vihaan so she could have a moment without her annoying 'cousin.' Why they needed the most annoying member of the Takeda clan was obvious, but not something Netra enjoyed. Her mother had asked her to do this, which was why she was even here.

 _This is fucking annoying, fuck family._ Netra slung herself down on the softly passed floor. The fucking forest screwed with her. She was used to sand and the wind. Konoha was killing her skills. She felt weaker. She wanted to go home, but there was no home to go back to.

She felt a warmth in her chest, bubbling hysterically under her skin. She wanted a nap. She needed to just... leave here. To run until no one knew her.

Drawing her abilities back into her, she sighed.

They had been tracking Jacket for the better part of the morning. All they had were ghost stories from some very iffy sources. Netra didn't like that people _knew they were looking for someone._ It bothered her on a lot of levels. She wanted to disappear from this shitty city, especially when she noticed the signature following them. She had seen a man trailing her.

She let her mind wander. Shikamaru didn't seem concerned. He told her that people were always going to be suspicious of them. They were a ninja squad, even with the most powerful disguises, they would make sensitive people take a step back. _Or Vihaan and Shikamaru did._ Netra seemed to inspire people to get way too close. It came with being short.

Sometimes she would see a blonde girl turning the corner just as she walked past a street. The man was more persistent, seems to appear when she just wanted to be alone.

She jerked up, lurching into a tree right as the blue strings descended. She had been stupid to completely cut off the world, even if she was tired. The man was back, this time wearing a stupid cat eared hat.

"Can I help you?" Netra demanded.

"I am looking for Takeda." The man drew back his strings. They seemed to be made of Chakra. He was Sand. Or formerly... He didn't have a headband on. His skin was too light for him to have been in Sand recently.

He didn't have the same smell, the burnt leather scent that clung to those who lived among the smooth rocks and smothering heat. He was a City Boy, though, she could tell by how white his palms were. He lifted up a hand to show her was unarmed-something she didn't trust for a moment. He was a puppeteer. Those strings could come out at any moment.

"What do you want with me?" Netra asked. "Do I look like I'm from a clan?"

She let bitterness tinged her words. Where was Shikamaru? Knowing the asshole, he used her as bait again. She was the smallest, baby-faced, and able to convince most people she was harmless. Not that this guy seemed to believe it if anything he was warier. He must know who she was.

His next words confirmed it. "I am sorry, Baba, but I have need of his help. The enemy of my enemy is my friend..." he said. "I am Kankuro of the... I am Kankuro."

"You're the asshole who has been following me," Netra said. "I guess I need to go now."

She moved towards the other side of the clearing. She didn't expect the chakra net to completely block her in. It seemed to come from nowhere. She _knew_ the technique, it had just been awhile since she saw a Fisher's Net in real life. The nostalgia stopped her.

"It's good," she said as she turned. "What do you want?"

"I wish to speak with Takeda," Kankuro said. He grinned. The net fell away. "We need to talk about the girl you are following. Kondo the Slaughterer."

Netra felt her feet grow hot. "Kondo the Slaughterer?" she whispered it like one whispers a curse word around a parent. "Who the fuck would try to hunt-I am going to kill him!"

Netra felt her chakra boil. The air around her grew hot and started to spin. She was about to unleash a cutting blast when Shikamaru and Vihaan landed beside her.

She turned her anger on the moron. "Does Shikamaru know the person you are having us track? Jacket? How cute! A little nickname for someone who- Drove us from our own home. I refuse to die for this mission. You told me it would be a retrieval mission, not fighting the one person who killed my own _sister. Did you know?_ Shikamaru, did you know?"

"Yes. I knew she had killed some of your clan, but not who she was or what she did exactly. Vihaan is here because he is the only one who can..."

"I don't care. I'm out." Netra moved to leave the clearing, but Kankuro stepped in front of her. Netra spun under his arm and took off down the path.

"Should we?" Vihaan asked.

Shikamaru nodded to Kankuro. "Just don't be an asshole. I would like her returned in one piece."

Kankuro nodded.

Then he too was gone.


	5. Tsuki

"Are you going to die for _them_?" Tsuki demanded.

Netra and Neeti squared their shoulders and got into their paired stance. They had been fighting together since they were young. Neeti was the eldest, by a year. Netra had always looked to her sister for guidance. Neeti was the stronger fighter; together they seemed to ebb and flow like a sandy hill in a strong wind. One was strong where the other was weak.

Tsuki gave a short laugh. "Pathetic. You let them ruin you."

Neeti was the first to move. She sparked with lightning, her hands moving through a series of advanced signs. "Crow, Dove, Mountain, Dragon, Horse, Ram, RAM!" she called. "Mega Wind! Lightning Attack."

There was a small explosion, which gave Netra the opening she needed. She whispered to herself, "Mental God: Ancient Axe!" She had always hated how loud her sister was, how she seemed to give away their next move. It was something they all did, an old honor their guerrilla warfare had outgrown. Why did they need to let the enemy know what they were going to do? Still, she found herself mouthing the move even if she didn't shout it.

She flexed her fingers and watched as two blue birds exploded from her palms. They dove at Tsukie, exploding into metal the moment they reached her outer aura.

Tsukie grinned. "So, you wish to battle? I will give you one more chance, girls, to leave with your lives. I do not like killing women."

Tsuki gave Neeti and Netra a hard look. "Or children."

Neeti exploded into her next move, expecting Netra to follow. It was a series of loud, bossy moves. Neeti was all power, while Netra felt her own moves filled in the gaps of skill. Nothing seemed to hit Tsuki. Netra felt something in the back of her mind, something that seemed wrong.

"Neeti!" Netra called. "Back."

But Neeti didn't seem to hear her. There was a constant call of moves, but Neeti seemed to grow slower with each one. Netra stepped towards the battle, inching around the smoke and lightning. She was trying to find an opening, trying to see where Tsuki might be weakest.

It was then that she heard the scream of pain. Neeti!

Netra felt her rage building. She unleashed _The Wind in the Valley_ hoping to clear the smoke. Instead, she found her own ability aimed at her. Somehow Tsuki had managed to erect a mirror barrier. Netra heard her wrist crack as she hit the wall.

That had been years ago. Neeti had been dead almost seven years now. It still felt like yesterday. It still felt so raw.

xxx

How Mama Baba told it, Tsuki had been looking for Sita, Vihaan's eldest sister. The girl was the heir to the Takeda clan and considered the most powerful member of the clan's heirs. Vihaan had the Gift, but Sita had the Spirit of the Clan. She was the first girl born in almost twenty years. The Takeda clan had married outside their clan for decades, trying to find the right mix of abilities and talents.

Tsuki had been from the same clan as Sita's mother. There had been a lifelong fued between Aahana Kondo, Sita's mother, and Tsuki Kondo. Vihaan had been born from Bana Takeda and his second wife, Lia. That had saved his life. Lia and Vihaan were spared, but Bana, Sita, and Aahana were found dead in the ruins of the family home.

Why? No one could really tell. The Kondo clan had picked up and moved, telling Tsuki to never return. They didn't seem to care that one of their own was dead. It was the Kondo way, to forget those who left their fold. They did not seem to care for Aahana the way the Takeda clan did. And that was all the more reason for them to leave the area.

Konoha had accepted them, willing to take on more powerful clans. They had lost so many during the wars. With the Uchiha clan gone, they needed more Blood Limits. So the Baba and the Takeda had joined together and left. Leaving the memory of the children lost, of the friends gone, of the clan they used to be.

Netra had left her sister buried under the hot sands, uncertain she would ever forget the loss.

Tsuki was the last person she wanted to see.

Tsuki Kondo, the Slaughterer was not her problem. She promised her mother to never go looking for trouble like that. And she would keep that promise.


End file.
